


Elysium

by ladydragon76



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Warning: violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-07
Updated: 2014-09-07
Packaged: 2018-02-16 12:34:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2269884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladydragon76/pseuds/ladydragon76
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>Summary:</b> It’s the beginning of a beautiful friendship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Elysium

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Masqueadrift](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Masqueadrift/gifts).



> **‘Verse:** IDW  
>  **Series:** None  
>  **Rating:** R  
>  **Characters:** Drift/Red Alert  
>  **Warnings:** Violence, AU, Mild Robot Gore  
>  **Notes:** I chose _[The Aftermath of the Battle for Elysium](http://masqueadrift.deviantart.com/art/TF-The-Aftermath-480770355) _ by MasqueAdrift for [tf_reversebang 2014](http://tf-reversebang.livejournal.com/), and with xyr permission, I’ll be using gender-neutral pronouns in this fic. It’s a bit rambling and goofy, but was fun to do. ^_^

Drift had been on a lot of planets, but none quite like Elysium. Sure some- Pits, _most_ planets had creatures or plants that glowed, but _all_ of Elysium did. Everything was bioluminescent, from the grass to the flowers to the little creatures that darted here and there as xe helped Wheeljack and Perceptor set up their equipment. They all glowed, or flashed, or glittered in an endless spectrum of color and light.

It was beautiful.

“This stuff’s not gonna suck the energy out of the living stuff, is it?” Drift asked. Primus, really? Had those words just come out of xyr mouth? Could xe sound any dumber? _Well, they didn’t bring me for my processing power, now did they?_

“Nah,” Wheeljack replied, inadvertently answering Drift’s thoughts as well. “There’s an energy field here that we’re tryin’ ta see if we can passively collect from.” Helm fins flashed a bright blue, something Drift had learned was Wheeljack’s way of conveying a smile. “I’d hate ta hurt this place. Gorgeous, huh?”

Drift followed the sweep of Wheeljack’s arm, and nodded. The predawn sky was light purple, the land bright from the glow of the plants in the field and the two full moons above. Xe couldn’t even see the stars due to all the light.

“Instead of admiring the view, we should be taking the readings you need, and then getting back to the safety of our base. Who knows what’s going on there while you’re treating this mission like a vacation.” Red Alert placed a crate of parts from inside their transport shuttle on the ground, and gave Drift a scowl.

“I do not believe a little admiration for our surroundings would be detrimental to the timetable,” Perceptor said as xe sorted the parts and tools into neat groups. “In fact, there will come a point when all we shall be able to do is wait and admire.”

“Is there anything more in the shuttle?” Drift asked. Xe definitely didn’t want Red Alert to start rolling on about Decepticon attacks and their vulnerability again. Not to mention that Perceptor, while mild mannered and quiet most of the time, seemed happy to debate with Red Alert and wind xem up when annoyed with xem.

“No, this was the last,” Red Alert replied with a huff. “But that hardly negates my point.”

“Well,” Wheeljack started, xyr helm fins flashing a merry blue again. “Drift’s kinda gotta look. Xe’s our guard.”

Drift met Red Alert’s glare with a shrug. “I’ll go… walk a perimeter or something then. Unless you need my help setting the gear up.”

Wheeljack flapped a hand at xem, and Perceptor said, “No, thank you. Wheeljack and I can do so faster without having to instruct you or Red Alert.”

There, no excuses to hang around. It was probably pushing at Red Alert’s authority as their mission officer, but Drift didn’t believe anything could make the mech happy while they were out here and ‘exposed’, least of all perfect obedience from Drift. That’d never made much of a difference before anyway. Not to mention the field they had landed in was far more interesting than watching the scientists.

Drift walked out away from the shuttle, optics sweeping from left to right, right to left, helm turning, but really, there was nothing threatening in sight. The field was wide open except for some boulders sticking up here and there. The breeze ruffled the glowing flowers, warm and barely humid, carrying the strange, alien perfume. Drift took it in, trying to find something familiar, but it was just… different.

Xe bent a little, fingertips brushing the flowers that swayed around xyr knees, then straightened as an animal suddenly latched onto xyr hand.

“The frag are you doing?” Drift asked it, lifting xyr hand to take a closer look at the creature.

Gummy little toes clung to Drift’s hand, then forearm, a long tail curling around xyr wrist. Red eyes that glowed like any Cybertronian’s optics blinked up at Drift, a tongue flicking out and nostrils flaring.

“Yeah, well, your whole planet smells weird. What are you, anyways?”

Doubled gossamer wings hummed, flashing iridescent light over the downy purple fuzz that covered what Drift thought of as a lizard-like body, long and sinuous with short legs. It had a set of tiny horns on its head between furry flares that might have been its ears.

“You’re a really wonky bug, aren’t you?” Drift lifted xyr other hand, moving slowly so xe wouldn’t scare the creature, and lightly stroked one finger down the fur of its back. “Soft though.”

“What are you doing?” Red Alert demanded, voice startlingly loud.

Drift turned, something like guilt flashing through xem for a moment, quickly followed by concern for the little animal, but the creature only blinked curiously at Red Alert. “Making friends, I guess. Bug’s kinda fearless.” Xe grinned. “Can I keep it?”

Dual wing sets fluttered and buzzed again, and the softest chiming sound came from the creature’s mouth.

“Actually, I think it might be planning to keep me.” Drift chuckled, but then saw Red Alert’s expression and rolled xyr optics. Here it came.

“You’re supposed to be the guard,” Red Alert snapped.

The creature hissed, and flew off, and Drift leveled an annoyed glare at Red Alert. “Now look what you did.”

“What _I_ did?! You aren’t here to play with the locals.”

“There’s nothing here, Red Alert.” Drift spread xyr arms. “Take a look around. The worst that can happen is a bunch of those bugs crawl on me and smudge my fini-”

Pain shocked through Drift’s body, and for an instant xe just couldn’t reconcile how Red Alert could have shot xem. Xe hadn’t even seen xem draw xyr blaster.

“Attack! We’re under attack!” Red Alert screamed over the comms. Xe threw xemself to the ground beside Drift, pulling xyr blaster from xyr subspace, then fired up into the sky at their attackers.

“ _I can see Decepticon insignia_ ,” Perceptor said, voice calm and focused. “ _Engaging_.”

Drift shook off the pain and surprise, rolling into a crouch and drawing xyr swords.

“We need to get to the shuttle,” Red Alert shouted, taking aim and firing.

The report of Perceptor’s rifle echoed over the field, and one of the Decepticons howled. Xe transformed, wobbling in the air, but then red optics lit on Drift.

“Slag,” Drift grumbled.

Red Alert fired, scoring two glancing blows on another of the Decepticons, xyr back to Drift’s as xe followed xyr chosen target to fire again. Drift waited until the last possible second, then spun and threw all xyr weight against Red Alert.

“What-? Primus!”

Drift ignored Red Alert, and launched at the Decepticon. Xe was a big flyer, larger than a Seeker, and xe snarled and swiped at Drift with long talons that shrilled off the blades of xyr swords. Drift danced around xem, keeping xyr distance as best xe could, but xe was still caught when the mech lunged. Xyr scream carried over the sounds of weapons fire and combat.

“Drift!” Red Alert called. Xe couldn’t help Drift, and they both knew it, too busy keeping up with xyr own Decepticon, as were Wheeljack and Perceptor.

Drift stumbled back, hand automatically going to the ragged stump of xyr right arm. Xe pushed away the blazing pain, listening to the shouting over the comms as Wheeljack and Perceptor called out status.

“ _Two Decepticons down._ ”

“ _There’s three more in the air_.”

“ _Engaged. Two remaining. Check the one at your nine._ ”

“ _Hah! No ya don’t ya fragger! Slag ‘em, Perce!_ ”

“Oops. Want it back?” the Decepticon asked in a growl, then threw Drift’s arm at xem.

Drift ducked xyr arm and sprang forward. Xe dipped and twisted, swinging xyr sword up to bite into the wounded, sparking wing, then slipped away. Xe came back around the mech’s front, sword raised, and drove it forward, taking the risk and attacking the opening xe was given.

“ _Down! Xe’s down!_ ” Red Alert called out. “ _Drift, report._ ”

Drift saw Red Alert turn toward xem, blaster raised and ready, but xe knew the shot wasn’t going to help xem. Xe’d misjudged the Decepticon’s speed, or xyr own maybe, as xyr energon bled out and the pain xe was trying to ignore fuzzed xyr processors.

Talons plunged into the side of xyr chest, rending the metal and driving xem back against a boulder. The Decepticon jerked, shouting, and Drift cried out as well as the claws tore their way out of xem. Through bleared optics Drift saw a flash of red and white, and heard Red Alert’s voice, though it was muffled and indistinct.

Wait. Was that xyr sword?

“ _All clear here,_ ” Perceptor said. “ _The equipment survived unharmed. Status?_ ”

“ _Get over here! Both of you, Drift’s down!_ ”

“Did you kill xem with my sword?” Drift asked as Red Alert dropped to xyr knees next to xem.

“Yes. Oh Primus, you’re a mess. Hold on, we’ll get you fixed.”

Drift snickered, helm lolling back against the rock. “Can’t hold on too good. Only have one arm.”

“That’s not funny!” Red Alert’s hands fluttered over Drift’s frame, landing and jumping to some other spot faster than Drift could follow.

“Yes, it is. You just don’t know how to laugh.” Drift grinned despite the agony washing in hard waves over xyr sensornet. “New life goal. Make Red Alert smile.”

“Fine. Whatever keeps you alive, you glitch.” Red Alert bit xyr lip, optics dim, or maybe that was just Drift’s vision.

Yeah. Probably xyr vision, it was getting staticky around the edges too.

“Wow. Xe slagged ya a bit there, Drift. You still with us?”

“Mmhmm.”

“I can’t stop the bleeding.” Red Alert sounded so distressed. It wasn’t right. Xe shouldn’t be so upset over Drift being banged up a bit.

“Let’s lay xem down.” Perceptor’s hands are suddenly right there, and Drift couldn’t help but cry out as xe was moved.

“Ain’t gonna be pretty, and it sure ain’t gonna feel good, but stay with us, Drift.”

Drift tried to nod to Wheeljack, but then fire flared to life in what remained of xyr arm, and xe screamed.

“We need Ratchet.”

“Xe saved me.”

“Yeah, this ain’t beyond Ratch, but I think it’s well beyond what we got here with us. Red, go toss what ya can inta the shuttle and get it runnin’. We’ll patch xem up, then we can get outta here.”

Drift blinked up at Wheeljack’s face, catching the dull, dim orange of xyr helm fins. “What’s orange mean?” xe asked, but no one answered, and then xyr optics stopped working altogether, audials too. At least the pain was gone.

~ | ~

The world came into focus slowly. White filled Drift’s vision, hazy and indistinct around the edges. Xe recognized, but couldn’t place the soft beeps, and there was something familiar about the too-clean smell of the air. Drift let xyr helm roll to the side, blinking to clear xyr vision, and grinning as the world spun under xem a little.

“Red!” Drift exclaimed with a croaking voice, and smiled at Red Alert.

“You’re awake,” Red Alert gasped, putting aside the datapad xe’d been holding.

“And you’re cute,” Drift slurred, trying to reach a hand out to Red Alert. Both the medical leads in xyr forearm and Red Alert’s hands stopped xem.

“You’re heavily drugged,” Red Alert said, shaking xyr helm.

“I like the horns on your helm.” Drift tried to reach up to touch, but was stopped again.

“Xe’s entertaining when drugged,” Ratchet said, pushing Drift’s other hand back to the berth.

Oh hey! Xe had two hands again! Drift smiled up at Ratchet. “Hi.”

“Hi, yourself, you lucky slagger.” Ratchet began disconnecting some of the medical leads. “You should start to feel more normal here in a minute, then you can think about how big you owe Perceptor and Wheeljack. They kept alive until they got you here.”

“I’ll thank them,” Drift said sincerely.

“I guess I should go,” Red Alert said as xe stood, reminding Drift that xe was there.

“No,” Ratchet said before Drift could protest, “you stay. I have too much inventory to do to keep an optic on this glitch.” Xe pointed a finger at Drift’s nose. “Stay. Put. Your arm is reattached, and I fixed that nasty hole in your chest, but there was a _lot_ of slagging damage. You aren’t to move your aft from this berth until I tell you it’s ok. Got it?”

“Got it,” Drift replied, feeling xyr processors begin to clear.

Ratchet eyed xem for a moment, then turned a left, leaving Red Alert staring helplessly after xem. Xe sat back down and picked up xyr datapad, occasionally sneaking glances at Drift.

Drift smiled a little wider with each covert look, amused and curious, but glad to have Red Alert there. Xe was rather cute, but why in the Pits would _Red Alert_ be in there sitting with xem?

“So, how much did I ruin the mission?” Drift asked.

Red Alert flinched, xyr face flaming bright pink and xyr shoulders hunching. “You didn’t,” xe said softly, fidgeting in xyr seat. Was that… guilt? Drift couldn’t tell. “Wheeljack and Perceptor are there now. Apparently there was an underground Decepticon outpost on the planet. As best as they can tell, we killed all the mechs that were there, and they never sent a distress signal out.

“They’re going to gather their information, then if it’s still a viable way to collect energon, we’ll work out a way to make our own base of operations there.”

“Well, that’s good,” Drift said. “Ya know, that they’re ok, and the whole plan didn’t need scrapped.”

They fell into an awkward silence after that, Red Alert scribbling something a little too diligently on the datapad xe held. Drift let xyr optics shut, hoping that would help put the mech at ease. That and xe could still feel the effects of the sedatives and pain blockers, and recharge didn’t sound like a bad idea. Xe was beginning to fall asleep when xe heard Red Alert speak.

“Thank you. For saving my life.”

Drift tipped xyr helm to the side to look at Red Alert, smiling as xe flinched and blushed again. “Welcome, but I think we’re even.”

Red Alert offered the most tentative of smiles in return, then buried xyr nose back in xyr datapad.

~ | ~

Red Alert’s visits became a daily habit. Drift was glad, but confused. Xe thought it was guilt, and maybe it was in the beginning, but over the first week and a half that xe was stuck in the medbay, it shifted. Red Alert brought games and taught Drift to play them if xe didn’t know how. Xe was patient and surprisingly fun, and little by little, Drift dragged more of those little, barely there smiles out of the mech.

No laugh yet, but Drift hadn’t forgotten xyr ‘new reason to hang on’. Xe enjoyed teasing Red Alert about it too.

“You’re not going to believe this!” Red Alert called out as xe stormed into the medbay.

Drift braced xemself. Xe couldn’t get a read on Red Alert’s emotions. Xe looked angry, but also amused. Xe was stomping, but xyr plating wasn’t clamped in tight. Xyr optics were over-bright, but Drift could sense no violence in xyr field. “What?” xe asked, pressing xemself back into the berth.

“This.” Red Alert stopped at the side of Drift’s berth, then turned xyr back. There, clinging to the plating just under the back of Red Alert’s neck, was the little creature from Elysium.

“Bug!” Drift yelped, xyr own optics going wide.

Red Alert turned back around, reaching over xyr shoulder to grasp the creature. “Yes. Your frelling bug.”

“I didn’t-”

“Oh, I know that,” Red Alert huffed, and dropped the little animal on Drift’s abdominal plating. “You were too busy trying to die to convince the little glitch to stow away, but here it is.”

Squidgy toes padded up to Drift’s chest plating, the creature’s tongue flicking out and nostrils flaring.

“How in the Pits did it get here?” Drift asked, lifting xyr hand to lightly pet Bug’s back.

“Pff. Your guess is as good as mine.” Red Alert all but threw xemself into xyr chair. “It scared the slag out of three different mechs before I found out about the _monster_ in the energon storage area. I went in there, and there it was, pretty as you please, drinking from a cube of our energon.”

Drift shook xyr helm in disbelief, optics locked on the animal. “Drinking energon? It can drink energon and not die?” Most organic things couldn’t even touch energon without becoming ill or dying horrible deaths, yet this little animal had survived _consuming_ it? “Goofy little glitch,” xe murmured petting it and smiling as the wings buzzed and flashed iridescent light over xyr hand.

“The frag is that?” Ratchet asked, crossing to Drift’s berth as xe came out of xyr office. “Is that what you were just shouting about, Red?”

“Of course it was. Little alien tag-along. And I can’t even ship it back to its own planet.” Red Alert shook xyr helm and sighed. “It’s lucky it can survive on our energon, because it’s certainly not worth the cost of another trip _just_ to take it back to Elysium.”

Drift used a single finger to scritch under Bug’s chin, smiling up at Ratchet as the creature purred. “I guess I can keep it then.”

“Not in my medbay,” Ratchet said, pulling a scanner from xyr subspace. “It can visit, but it’s not staying.”

“We’ll see about that,” Red Alert said. “Now it knows where Drift is, I’m not sure if it’ll stay with me.”

“Put it in a cage.”

“No!” Drift cried, hands cupping Bug, much to the creature’s annoyance. Xe was given an angry chirp, and chastising nip to xyr thumb.

“With the intelligence that thing has displayed?” Red Alert huffed, shaking xyr helm at Ratchet, the both of them ignoring Drift. “Its hands are very dexterous, its eyes _lit_ up when I said Drift’s name, and just look at it!”

“Oh, I see it. I’m scanning it.” Ratchet scowled at the scanner, then tucked it away. “Or trying too.” Xe crouched down so xe would be eyelevel, and pointed a finger right at Bug’s snout. “If you’re so smart, you stay out of my stuff. You _visit_ Drift, but live with Red Alert. I’m not about to have you running loose in here when I have patients to tend.”

Bug’s head tipped to the side, and it reached out a front paw to touch Ratchet’s finger. It quickly lost interest, however, and began sniffing at the weld lines on Drift’s chest.

“See,” Red Alert said. “It likes Drift. Apparently a few seconds of conversation and bit of a petting, and now it can’t bear the separation.”

Ratchet smirked, arms crossing. “Oh, that explains it.” Drift frowned in confusion, but Ratchet was already pointing at Red Alert. “Xe hasn’t left your side either. But no more pets. I’m drawing the line at two.”

Red Alert sputtered, face burning hot pink and xyr optics wide. Drift felt xyr own face heat, and didn’t know why. Xe’d never been shy about feeling attracted to a mech before, but then, most mechs weren’t Red Alert.

“Ratchet!” Red Alert finally managed to hiss.

“What? You two can’t expect me not to notice when you spend weeks mooning over one another right under my nose.”

“I haven’t really been petting Red Alert though,” Drift said.

“I should hope not. You’re not cleared for strenuous activity yet,” Ratchet said, snickering as Red Alert gasped. “Primus, Red, relax. The kid likes you, you like xem, you even have a pet together. In a few more days, you can even take xem out on a real date.”

Ratchet gave them both a smug look, then left behind the mess of embarrassment and tension xe had so blithely created.

Drift bit xyr lip, then shrugged. “Date sounds good. We can play that Nebulous game you’re teaching me.”

“Pff. _Trying_ to teach you.” Red Alert smiled though. A real, genuine smile. “Though I suppose we could have a lesson now. If you want?”

Drift smiled back, spark giving a strange flutter xe blamed entirely on the tickle of Bug’s toes over that one tender weld line. “Yeah. Now’s good.”

**Author's Note:**

> [The Aftermath by Masq](https://orig13.deviantart.net/1f69/f/2014/249/7/e/tf__the_aftermath____by_masqueadrift-d7y8ks3.png)


End file.
